


1994

by vivid_rabbit



Category: Mother 1 | EarthBound Zero | EarthBound Beginnings, Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 20:07:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6624433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivid_rabbit/pseuds/vivid_rabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ness would think he was looking at himself sometimes, but a bit older. And that was pretty cool. (One shot, general.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1994

**Author's Note:**

> I kinda laid down in bed and wrote this real quick

Summer has always been a good time for Ness. This was when his cousin, Ninten would come over for the three months, and as if god sent, his chronic symptoms of boredom washed away. Ness never really bothered finding out the reason why Ninten is always left to be here in Eagleland for the season; he didn't really care either. Company was great and he wasn't about to question his benefits. And so, in the scorching sun and warm, crisp breeze, summer has begun in Onett.

Ninten isn't a bad kid, he's just a little dishonest. Honesty is a new idea to him and his true intentions never spills without spunk. He's the kind of kid that spoke through gritted teeth if he wasn't already talking through his balled up fist. Impulsive, spontaneous, and unpredictable. Ninten smelled of adolescent rebellion of edgy proportions. Ness liked him a lot though, he knew deep inside Ninten means well; there's no such thing as a complete asshole out there in the world. Even if there was one, it'd be Ninten, and since he wasn't, assholeism is a dead idea in this year of 1994.

Plus, the kid knew Ness pretty well. It was kind of magnetic, really, the kind of chemistry they had. Ever since they were little, they've been well-aware of their striking similarities. "Oh, Ness... You know you have a cousin just like you," his mother used to mention. "He also has that psychic magical thingamajig like you. I wonder if it's hereditary."

Ness would think he was looking at himself sometimes, but a bit older. And that was pretty cool. 

* * *

 

The television flickered colorful pixels, flooding the dark bedroom in dim light. Ninten played his game as Ness watched beside him. Crickets chirped through the night as the boys quietly enjoyed each other's company. It's half past 10.

"You sure you don't want to play?" Ninten asked without taking his eyes away from the screen.  
"Nah," Ness replied. "I don't really get how to play it anyway."

Silence. The ticking of the clock was muffled by the television.

"Oh shit, yeah," Ninten suddenly snapped his fingers and whipped his head around to look at his cousin. "Isn't it your birthday soon?"  
Ness beamed. "Yeah. Getting me anything?"  
Ninten waved his hand. "Nah, dude." A puff to the chest. "Savings."  
"You're not rich anymore, finally?"  
"No, what? Who said I was rich in the beginning anyway?"  
Ness laughed. "Your mom oughta shut up, you know."  
"Really? Damn. I didn't know she talked that much about me, though." Ninten scratched the back of his neck.  
Ness didn't know what to say. The clock ticked away as the screen remains idle.

"You're getting older now, huh," Ninten pats him on the back. "Sometimes I forget you're that younger than me."  
The younger boy's cheek flushed a bit.  
"Y'know, Ness. Five years ago I got myself into some real deep shit."  
Ness looks up. "Like, a fight? You killed someone?" He joked.  
"What? No—Wait, yeah." Ninten grinned.  
"Dude!" A push to the shoulder.  
"No no, of course I'm joking. But hear me out, okay?" Ninten's voice softened with affection as he looked at Ness who had a curious sparkle in his eye. The clock ticked quarter to midnight. The slightly open window whistled warm, August air into the room.

"It was back home, I kinda traveled around and handled other people's business here and there. Y'know, because I'm a nosy motherfucker." Ninten rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat. "It wasn't anything serious, really. I got to meet a lot of people and it was great."  
"If it was great, what's so deep into shit about it?"  
"I dunno," the older teenager shook his head once. "Maybe it was the responsibility of, you know, growing up a little."  
"What do you mean?"  
"It sucked, being able to wake up one day and realizing you had to set a goal for yourself and do it no matter what." He laughs. "Even if it sounded really impossible, bullshit even," Ninten glances at his hands. "I really didn't want to do it. I didn't want to grow up. I was so young."  
"What did you do?"  
"Of course I did it. I didn't know better. I set out on my own tasked with saving the world, Ness,"  
Ninten places his hands on his cousin's shoulder. "For real."  
"No," Ness laughed and smiled at him. "You're kidding. Don't mess with me."  
Ninten laughs. "Yeah, I'm kidding. I just had to handle some errands for my dad."

He continued. "But it was still scary, going out on your own with a big responsibility. You get caught up in your job, you think, damn, I'm getting old, and you don't even know what goes on while doing it." The summer air gusts into the room, lightly brushing against faces warmly lit from the screen. The clock ticks. Ninten breathes in, and breathes out. The dry air wasn't good for his asthma, he thought.

He coughs himself and continues. "That's why you gotta remember that growing up isn't just about getting old, Ness. It's about being able to do more. See more. Being able to do all these things... while still being the same kid that you've always been." He winks. "Just like a cooler version of yourself."

A long pause. Ness blinked at him, his mouth slowly curling to beam a goofy smile. "I didn't get a single thing that you said."  
Ninten playfully pushes his cousin. "Don't give me that shit-eating grin! You're so disrespectful!"  
Ness laughs, and smiles warmly at him. "No no, I'm kidding. I'll try to remember."

Ninten nods and looks at him straight in the eye. "Good," he huffed. "And since it's now midnight, happy birthday, here's your amazing gift from your amazing cousin." He throws him a dusty red hat.

"Another red hat?" Ness examines the visibly worn out hat. "Wait a minute, your hat?"  
"Hey, yours is just a plain red hat, but mine has that nifty blue brim on it. Cool, right?"  
"You're such a fucking cheapskate, Ninten,"  
"Told you, I'm saving. Plus it's not that dirty, and it's sturdy. It's a genuine baseball cap."  
"Look, I'm gonna wear the brim to the side like you do," Ness plops the hat on his head and adjusts the brim to face the left.  
"I'm Ninten, everyone, and I'm old as shit," he mocks, shining a smile at his older cousin.  
"Again with the disrespect," Ninten grabs the hat and turns the brim to the right. "Leave it like this. Please don't turn it to the other side, you look like me when I was younger and that pisses me off."  
Ness lets out a hearty laugh. "Thanks, Ninten. Your hat's pretty cool."

Ness looked at him with a pleasant sense admiration. For the first time in his life, he didn't understand his older cousin. Though, listening to him felt important. He felt like he learned something despite not really knowing what it was about. Maybe. Maybe Ninten knew something about him that he didn't know yet. Somehow, just a little, he understood.


End file.
